Sirius (instrumental)
"Sirius" | ||||
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Single by the Alan Parsons Project | ||||
from the album Eye in the Sky | ||||
A-side |
| |||
B-side | "Mammagamma" | |||
Released | August 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981–1982 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 1:48 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Alan Parsons | |||
The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology | ||||
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"Sirius" is an instrumental by British rock band the Alan Parsons Project, recorded for their sixth studio album, Eye in the Sky (1982). Nearly two minutes long, it segues into "Eye in the Sky" on the original recording. From the 1990s onward, "Sirius" has become a staple of many college and professional sporting events throughout North America, most prominently Chicago Bulls and Nebraska Cornhuskers games.
Overview
On the album, "Sirius" segues into "Eye in the Sky". The former is usually followed by the latter on airplay, though not always in live performances — at the World Liberty Concert Sirius was played as the introduction to "Breakaway" (from the Alan Parsons solo album Try Anything Once), with Candy Dulfer on saxophone.
Background
The genesis of "Sirius" began when Alan Parsons wanted the first song on the album to be "Eye in the Sky", but felt there needed to be an introduction leading up to it. As he was working on ideas at home on his Fairlight CMI, he wrote a riff that he liked, which ultimately became "Sirius".[2] This riff was played using a clavinet sample with added tape delay.[3] Originally, "Sirius" was not written in the same key as "Eye in the Sky", but was re-recorded in the studio once the band realized it would lead into "Eye in the Sky" well.[2]
Usage in media
Sports
"Sirius" is best known in the U.S. as the instrumental song that was used to introduce the starting lineup of the
In Italy,
It was used as an intro song by the Swiss national football team at Euro 2020. It was also used as the walkout song for AnEsonGib before his fight against Tayler Holder for the Battle of the Platforms.
The German handball team, SC Magdeburg use the song to introduce their squad.
The Texas Rangers Baseball Team used this song from 1996-2001 while waiting for the team to take the Field.
Film, television, and video games
"Sirius" is played during the climactic scene of the 1988
On UK TV it is played in the background when a participant is taking part in a record-breaking challenge on BBC's Roy Castle's Record Breakers.
The song was played at the beginning of the 2016 sequel film
In recent years, the song has been used in the trailer for
Track listing
All tracks are written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sirius" (instrumental) | 1:48 |
2. | "Eye in the Sky" | 4:33 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mammagamma" (instrumental) | 3:34 |
Personnel
- Ian Bairnson – electric guitars
- Stuart Elliott – drums, percussion
- Alan Parsons – clavinet, Fairlight CMI, delay
- David Paton – bass guitar
- Andrew Powell – orchestral arrangement, orchestral conductor
- Eric Woolfson – keyboards
Covers
- "Sirius" is sampled in "The Saga Continues (Intro)", the opening track of The Bad Boy Family's 2001 album The Saga Continues. The song is also sampled in "B.O.M.B.S." by Fabolous and "Miami Shit" by Pitbull.[10]
- Armin van Buuren & AVIRA released the new cover in trance version.[11]
- "Sirius" was covered along with "Eye in the Sky" by Zombi on their 2022 album "Zombi & Friends, Volume 1".[12]
References
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (24 August 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
Never mind that the song's spacey instrumental intro ("Sirius")...
- ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (24 April 2020). "Alan Parsons, Writer of Chicago Bulls' Theme Song and Former Beatles Engineer, Talks 'Sirius' and 'Let It Be'". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ Mikula, Jeremy (29 April 2020). "'Aaaaaaaand now ...' Everything you need to know about the Chicago Bulls' intro song, Ray Clay vs. Tommy Edwards and why Alan Parsons isn't collecting many royalties". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ a b "How Alan Parsons Project Became the Soundtrack to Jordan's Bull". Ultimate Classic Rock. 9 May 2020.
- ^ a b Cohen, Ben (12 April 2016). "The One Record the Warriors Can't Take From the Bulls: Even as Golden State closes on a historic 73rd win, Chicago's pre-game music still sets the standard". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Tunnel Walk Tradition". Huskers.com. NU Media Relations. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "Nebraska Tunnel Walk". YouTube. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "Best Buy TV Commercial, 'Sprint Savings' Song By The Alan Parsons Project". ispot.tv. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Sirius by the Alan Parsons Project - Song Info - List of Movies and TV Shows".
- ^ Pitbull (31 December 2014). "Miami S***". YouTube. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ Armin van Buuren & AVIRA - Sirius, retrieved 13 August 2021
- ^ Zombi. "ZOMBI & Friends, Volume 1". Bandcamp. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
Further reading
- Malooley, Jake (13 November 2018). "How the Chicago Bulls Soundtracked Michael Jordan's Dynasty". The Ringer. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
External links
- "Songfacts — Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project
- Sirius at Discogs (list of releases)